For several grueling weeks, the deepest core zone of the Star Dou Great Forest became a brutal, unforgiving training ground. The ancient sanctuary, usually a haven of undisturbed tranquility, was subjected to a daily symphony of destruction.
CLANG! CRASH!
The sound of heavy hammer strikes and shattering stone echoed endlessly through the dense foliage, scaring away any wandering Spirit Beasts that dared to approach the perimeter.
Tang Hao stood near the muddy bank of the Lake of Life, his weathered face an unreadable mask of stone. He acted as a relentless taskmaster, pushing Tang San far beyond the fragile limits of human endurance. He treated his son not as a boy, but as a raw ingot of iron resting upon a demonic anvil, requiring constant, punishing strikes to purge the lingering weakness from his soul.
Tang San swung the Clear Sky Hammer. The weapon was a heavy, dark mass of unyielding metal, bearing the humiliating stain of the three white rabbit rings. However, the presence of the singular, blood-red Spirit Ring hovering near the head of the hammer gave the weapon the terrifying weight of a falling meteor.
Furthermore, Tang Hao forced his son to acclimate to the heavy gravitational pressure constantly radiating from the Left Arm Spirit Bone. The limb felt as though it were forged from solid lead. Every swing required Tang San to battle against a localized gravity field that sought to drag him into the dirt.
Sweat poured from Tang San's brow like a summer rainstorm, soaking his ragged clothes. His muscles screamed in burning agony, the fibers tearing and mending under the intense physical strain.
"Your stance is a crumbling wall, Xiao San!" Tang Hao barked, his voice cutting through the humid air like a rusted blade. "You rely too heavily on the anger burning in your chest. Anger is a fleeting spark. Let the earth support your weight! Sink your roots into the soil and draw the power upward!"
Tang San gritted his teeth, his jaw locking tight. He widened his stance, digging his boots deep into the damp earth. He activated the 'Earthen Power' granted by his fourth Spirit Ring, feeling a surge of raw, terrestrial energy flowing upward through his legs to brace his exhausted muscles.
Suddenly, a voice echoed within the confines of his spiritual sea.
"Heavy! Push ground! Smash hard!"
It was Er Ming's consciousness. The soul of the Titan Giant Ape actively participated in the grueling training, serving as the localized spirit residing within the dark metal of the Clear Sky Hammer. The fallen beast amplified the 'Titan Hammer' strikes with his primal, unyielding fury, offering simple, childish commands that fueled Tang San's relentless assault.
Tang San listened to the prompt. He channeled the earthen energy and swung the massive hammer with all his might.
BOOM!
The head of the hammer slammed into a towering, ancient boulder. The massive stone did not just crack; it instantly pulverized into a cloud of fine, gray dust.
The intense physical conditioning, combined with the lingering, ancient essence of the Titan Giant Ape residing within his left arm, acted as a supreme catalyst. Tang San felt the spirit power within his meridians surge forward like a rising tide breaking against a fragile dam. The bottleneck that had plagued him for weeks shattered like a pane of glass.
His aura flared violently, pushing the surrounding dust away. He had naturally ascended, finally breaching the Level 50 threshold. The milestone marked his transition into the realm of true experts, yet the victory felt hollow in the face of his looming mission.
From the tranquil surface of the nearby water, the Sky Azure Bull Python watched the rapid progress.
SWISH.
The massive, serpentine beast raised his colossal head above the treeline. His bovine eyes were filled with a complex, swirling mixture of profound sorrow for his fallen brother and a desperate, burning hope for his sister's rescue. He had watched the human youth bleed and suffer for weeks, proving a dedication that satisfied the ancient guardian's cautious heart.
"The time has come, Xiao San," Da Ming announced.
His massive form began rising from the water, his colossal bulk casting a vast, chilling shadow over the clearing. The water cascaded down his azure scales like a torrential waterfall.
Tang San ceased his hammer swings, dropping the heavy head of the weapon to the earth. He panted heavily, his chest heaving as he wiped a mixture of sweat and dirt from his eyes. He looked up at the towering beast, a flicker of hesitation crossing his exhausted features.
"Da Ming..." Tang San murmured, his voice hoarse from dehydration and exertion. "Are you certain about this? Your life..."
"My brother walks with you, and soon I shall as well," Da Ming replied, his voice a rumbling thunder that vibrated the leaves of the ancient canopy. The beast spoke with a slow, deliberate cadence, lacking the cunning of human scholars but possessing a straightforward, unshakeable sincerity. "The monster holding Sister Xiao Wu is a storm of shadows. You are a dull blade fighting against a hurricane. You must become a true powerhouse to face him. You must wield the fury of the forest."
Tang Hao stood in absolute silence near the edge of the clearing. His arms were crossed firmly over his broad chest. His dark eyes gleamed with a predatory, dark anticipation as the final, crucial piece of his grand, manipulative design fell perfectly into place.
'The sacrifice of the serpent will mend the final cracks in the foundation,' Tang Hao thought, a grim smile touching the corners of his chapped lips. 'With two hundred-thousand-year Spirit Rings anchored to his hammer, Xiao San will possess an offensive capability unmatched by anyone in his generation. The disgrace of the white rings will be a forgotten nightmare. He will become the executioner I need to shatter the heavens.'
Da Ming did not wait for further protests from the human youth. He raised his massive serpentine head toward the obscured sky.
ROAR!
The Beast unleashed a majestic, heaven-shaking roar that carried the sorrow of a dying king. His massive azure body began to glow with a blinding, overwhelming brilliance. The physical flesh and bone dissolved rapidly, transforming into a towering pillar of swirling blue and golden light. He was willingly sacrificing his ancient, profound cultivation, offering hundreds of thousands of years of accumulated essence for the sake of the human youth he believed was their only hope.
The sheer density of the azure energy swept across the clearing like a sudden hurricane. It swirled violently around Tang San, kicking up a storm of dirt and leaves. The energy pulled inward, condensing above the dark metal of the Clear Sky Hammer.
A second, blood-red Spirit Ring slowly formed from the vortex of light. It hovered patiently above the weapon, joining the first red ring in a display of twin, bloody moons.
"Sit and absorb the gift, Xiao San!" Tang Hao commanded, his voice a sharp whip cracking in the tempest.
Tang San immediately dropped into a meditative posture on the damp earth. He closed his eyes, guiding the majestic azure energy into his meridians.
The process began, but a noticeable difference emerged. Because his fragile human vessel had been drastically, fundamentally strengthened by Er Ming's Left Arm Spirit Bone and a month of torturous physical conditioning, his pathways resembled forged iron pipelines rather than brittle glass. Tang San absorbed the torrential azure energy with far less agonizing pain than his previous, life-threatening trial. The cool, calming nature of the water-attribute beast acted as a soothing balm against the tearing sensation within his flesh.
The swirling energy settled.
SNAP!
The second red ring snapped firmly into place. It secured its permanent position as the fifth Spirit Ring on the Clear Sky Hammer. The newly formed halo radiated a majestic, draconic pressure that rolled across the clearing, causing the surrounding ancient trees to physically bow under the weight of the aura.
Tang San exhaled a long, heavy breath of compressed, azure energy. His eyes snapped open, revealing a momentary, terrifying flash of azure lightning dancing within his dark pupils.
The acquisition of the second hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring pushed the Clear Sky Hammer far past its previous, mortal limitations. The fusion elevated the weapon from a heavy hunk of metal into an instrument of absolute, mythological destruction.
The tarnished, humiliating legacy of the three white rabbit rings was completely buried. The pale, weak halos were rendered practically invisible beneath the overwhelming, dual-red radiance of the ancient Spirit Beasts. The hammer no longer looked like a tragic joke; it appeared as a divine artifact forged in the heart of a bleeding sun.
Tang San sat silently, feeling the new, profound abilities engrave themselves permanently into the fabric of his mind. The knowledge blossomed within his spiritual sea like a blooming lotus.
The first ability granted by the fifth ring was 'Clear Sky Dragon's Soul'. It was an offensive technique of terrifying, apocalyptic proportions. This ability allowed the hammer to summon a massive, tangible Azure Dragon phantom during a strike. The draconic entity was an avatar of pure destruction, capable of disintegrating virtually anything it touched, leaving nothing but a cloud of drifting gray ash in its wake. It bypassed conventional armor by targeting the very structural integrity of the target.
The second ability was 'Clear Sky Dragon Coil'. This was an inescapable, localized binding technique. Upon activation, it summoned an illusionary Azure Dragon to wrap completely around the target, locking their limbs and sealing their spirit power circulation. Breaking this draconic restraint required the victim to possess a higher, fundamental foundational strength than Tang San himself, making it a lethal, suffocating trap for anyone residing within the same cultivation tier.
The massive influx of ancient, refined spirit power from the sacrifice propelled Tang San's cultivation forward once again. The internal dam broke, launching his spirit power directly to Level 53. He had officially leaped past a massive hurdle, establishing himself as a formidable Spirit King.
Tang San stood up, reaching his hand out to grasp the handle of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The weapon felt entirely different in his grasp. It no longer hopped with the pathetic weakness of the Bunny Hop, nor did it twitch with the comedic Carrot Sense. The dark metal roared with a heavy, vibrating resonance, carrying the combined, suppressed fury of a fallen ape and a sacrificed dragon.
SWISH! RUMBLE!
He swung the hammer in a wide, horizontal arc. The very air screamed in agony, a visible vacuum trailing behind the heavy head of the weapon.
"The power is intoxicating," Tang San murmured, his voice a low, reverent whisper.
He lifted the hammer closer to his face, inspecting the dark, forged metal. The surface of the weapon now bore faint, intricate azure and golden veins pulsing along its length, resembling the scales of a sleeping leviathan.
'He is ready,' Tang Hao thought, standing a few paces away.
The veteran warrior witnessed the destructive arcs of azure lightning trailing from the hammer's head, his dark eyes reflecting the deadly light. His heart swelled with a cold, vindictive satisfaction. 'Zhang Tian will not survive a direct strike from this weapon. The boy possesses a tool capable of shattering the very fabric of space. The revenge of the Clear Sky Sect draws near.'
"You are not finished, Xiao San," Tang Hao reminded him, his voice breaking the silence. He raised a weathered hand, pointing toward the center of the clearing. "The beast left behind his legacy. Claim it."
Hovering patiently in the air, exactly where the Sky Azure Bull Python had initiated his sacrifice, was a crystalline fragment.
The Right Arm Spirit Bone pulsed with a serene, deep azure light. It resembled a teardrop fallen from the ocean, containing the distilled, pure essence of the forest's most ancient, majestic guardian. It floated amidst the drifting dust, radiating a calming, majestic aura.
Tang San walked forward, his boots squelching in the mud. He reached out, his right hand grasping the hovering bone.
HISS!
The moment his skin made contact, the solid bone dissolved into a stream of pure, liquid azure light. He felt the cool, calming energy seep directly through the pores of his skin. The energy traveled up his forearm, seeking to merge seamlessly with his skeletal structure.
The integration process was flawless, a gentle merging rather than a violent invasion. The azure energy wove a protective, strengthening lattice over his bones, wrapping his radius and ulna in a sheath of starlight and frost. The serene, flowing power of the serpent perfectly balanced the heavy, oppressive earthen power radiating from his left arm. It was a harmonious union of the crushing earth and the endless sky, creating a perfect equilibrium within his mortal frame.
As the fusion concluded, Tang San felt a familiar, majestic presence awaken deep within the center of his spiritual sea. A second spectral anchor had formed beside the first, confirming that the second sacrifice had yielded a perfect, miraculous result.
"I am here, Xiao San," Da Ming's consciousness spoke.
His voice echoed smoothly within the confines of the Right Arm Spirit Bone, carrying the slow, deliberate cadence of his former life. It was a comforting presence, a beacon of wisdom settling into the youth's mind.
"Da Ming!" Tang San responded internally, a profound sense of completeness washing over his weary soul. "You and Er Ming are both safe within me. Your spirits did not scatter to the winds."
"We are the blades you will use to cut down her captor," Er Ming's voice chimed in loudly from the left arm. The primal, simplistic tone of the ape vibrated with eager anticipation. "Punch hard! Kill bad man! Save Sister!"
The two ancient brothers, separated by death, were miraculously reunited within a human vessel, their souls tethered together by a shared desire for rescue and vengeance.
Tang San closed his eyes, directing his focus inward to inspect his newly acquired abilities. His right arm felt incredibly light, yet possessed a density that made him feel as though he could command the very storms of heaven with a single wave of his hand.
The first ability etched into the marrow was the 'Sky Azure Slowing Divine Claw'. It was a stealthy, untraceable restraint technique that required no physical projectile. Upon activation, a phantom claw would manifest around the target, ignoring conventional physical defenses entirely. Once bound, the victim's perception of time and their physical movements would be drastically slowed tenfold, turning their reactions into thick mud while Tang San remained operating at peak velocity.
The second ability was the 'Sky Azure Fading Thunderclap'. It was a devastating, single-target offensive strike. By channeling the azure energy, Tang San could launch a concentrated bolt of lightning from his palm. The projectile possessed a phasing property, allowing it to bypass shields and armor. Upon striking the target, it turned their flesh a sickly azure hue before unleashing a chain reaction that reduced them to a pile of smoldering ash.
The successful absorption of the second hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone pushed his foundational, physical durability to a monstrous, unprecedented tier. His muscles were packed with explosive, highly refined energy, turning his body into a fortress of flesh and bone capable of withstanding the recoil of his most devastating attacks.
Furthermore, the excess energy from the integration caused his spirit power to skyrocket once more. The internal reservoir expanded, stabilizing firmly at Level 57.
It was a miraculous, historical leap in cultivation achieved within a mere thirty days of isolation.
Tang San opened his eyes, taking a deep breath of the humid forest air. He reflected on the agonizing journey of the past month. In a single span of thirty days, he had evolved from a broken, defeated quasi-Spirit Ancestor weeping by a dead campfire, into a high-tier Spirit King wielding the terrifying might of legends. He possessed two red Spirit Rings and two supreme, world-class Spirit Bones. The tragedy of his tournament defeat felt like a distant nightmare, replaced by a burning, lethal confidence.
He willed his spirit power to recede.
FWOOSH.
He dismissed his Clear Sky Hammer, the heavy weapon dissolving into sparks of dark light. He clenched both of his fists tightly.
CRACKLE!
He felt the dual, terrifying energies of the ape and the dragon coursing through his veins like twin rivers of fire and ice. The raw power hummed beneath his skin, begging to be unleashed upon the man who had wronged him.
"Your hammer is a finished blade for now," Tang Hao stated, walking over to stand beside his son. The veteran warrior inspected the youth, noting the newfound density in his muscles and the sharp, predatory gleam returning to his eyes. "The foundation is repaired. The weapon is primed for slaughter."
Tang San nodded, his expression a mask of cold determination. He raised his right hand, his spirit power shifting frequencies.
HISS.
He summoned his first martial spirit. The toxic, dark purple vines of his mutated Purple Spirit Grass slithered from his palm, falling to the damp earth like a nest of venomous vipers. The vines twitched, releasing a faint, sickly sweet aroma of poison into the air.
"I need a fifth ring for this spirit as well, Father," Tang San declared, his eyes locking onto the dark vines. "The hammer is for annihilation, but the grass is for control. The poison must become a fatal sickness that offers no escape."
"Indeed," Tang Hao agreed, his dark eyes scanning the dense, shadowy foliage of the core zone. He understood the necessity of balancing the twin spirits to ensure maximum tactical versatility. "We require a beast of potent, undeniable venom. Something ancient and foul to elevate your control over death itself."
Before Tang Hao could suggest a hunting ground, a slow, rumbling voice echoed in Tang San's mind, offering the ancient, encyclopedic knowledge of the forest.
"I know of a creature, Xiao San," Da Ming's voice resonated from the right arm bone. "Deep in the northern toxic bogs, far from the light of the sun, there resides a beast of foul breath. It sleeps in a pool of endless rot, feeding on decay. It is a creature of pure malice. It will be a good poison for your grass."
Tang San's eyes widened slightly at the specific intelligence provided by the spirit resident within him. He immediately relayed the information to his father, detailing the location and the nature of the beast dwelling in the northern bogs.
Tang Hao listened intently, a grim, satisfied smile touching his lips.
The father and son exchanged a look of dark, unyielding determination. The pieces of the puzzle were assembling flawlessly. With the hammer reforged and the path to the final venomous ring laid bare, their crusade of vengeance was taking shape. They turned their backs on the empty, sorrowful clearing, marching together into the dense, dark woods as they prepared to hunt for the final piece of his lethal arsenal.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/